Plastic Shopping Bags

Yesterday's trip to the store resulted in many plastic bags.  I had left my reusable bags in the car.  As I unpacked the groceries, I again thought about ways I could reuse the bags.  I must admit I only have about 4 ways I currently reuse these annoying things.

• liner for bathroom trash containers
• pick up bags for doggie droppings when walking
• bagging up items for donation (when boxes aren't readily available or amounts are too small)
• trash bag for car

In all of these ways, the bags will likely end up in the landfill.  Today, I've decided it would have been better to walk back out to the car to get my reusable bags.  Reviewing the above list, it really doesn't make a lot of sense to line the bathroom trash container.  99.9% of what goes in there is dry materials.  Those can easily be dumped and the container wiped down as needed.  It also doesn't make much sense to dispose of car trash in one when I can simply pay more attention and throw the trash in receptacles along my way (or simply quit bringing trash items into my car!).  So, I have decided to only keep some on hand for the doggie walks and small donations.  All the rest will be taken back to the store for recycling.  

Reusable shopping bags saves money (some retailers give a credit for every reusable bag used), clutter and unnecessary items going into the landfill.

Re-Use: Small Plastic Bottle

By now, it should be apparent that I like to find ways to cut expenses and cut waste. Part of that process is to be creative with what one already has on hand.  Since I'm taking it easy today, I'm doing a bit of decluttering and organizing.  I started in the kitchen - as always - and came across this bottle.

Keeping it out of the trash is the important thing, since it is recyclable.  However, could it be reused before tossed out?  I left it on the counter and went about getting the laundry started. While sorting, it hit me - this is the perfect sized container for my spare buttons!  

I'm back and on a major mission!

Well, glancing back, I haven't posted in MANY months. However, with the urging from some friends, I am back to blogging about my "adventures." Here's a quick recap to get us to the point in time for this adventure.

A little over 9 years ago, I bought a house. The story behind that is another "adventure", but to sum it up, the house was structurally sound, but needed a generous amount of TLC. That part didn't work out quite as planned and it took years to get it moving. Finally, three years ago, the bedrooms got a face lift (well, to about 98% anyway). Then it was back to saving money. This year I had the unexpected expense of putting up two large dog pens (yet another adventure). That postponed things, but FINALLY I was able to stash enough cash to remodel my whole living area (that is like 1/2 the square footage of my house!). That project is currently underway. Of course, it completely sucked the House Fund DRY, but I am so excited to finally be getting this done!

That brings us to now. The House Fund is empty, the project continues to reveal unexpected expenses (Murphy's law) - thus tapping into my regular bill paying account - and I still have two bathrooms, a laundry room and a kitchen to remodel. So my Mindful Living Adventure begins again, but this time with a few extra twists. Since my last Adventure, my son has enrolled into a private academy to finish out high school, he has had surgery (which the bills are still pouring in for) AND we have discovered he has a pretty darn big wheat sensitivity!

Oh well, what's life without some challenges? Those who followed the last adventure know I love a chance at creative problem solving, so LET's DO THIS!

Candles

My crazy dog woke me at 4:30 this morning (why he is inside is a whole other story) needing to go out to potty. While I was extremely thankful he didn't just potty in the house, I really didn't want up that early! After trying...and failing...to go back to sleep, I pulled up the computer. I wanted to get some things done, but it was really dark outside (and inside) and I didn't want to throw on all the lights. I checked my email, checked my Facebook, etc. I finally gave in and turned on the TV about 6:00. Still, I didn't feel like I was accomplishing much. Then it hit me! Generations before me faced early morning darkness and still managed to get things done...even before electricity was a common place! CANDLES! I had a cabinet full of them. Without turning on lights, I managed to find two big ones and the matches. There is now enough light in my living room to get some things done. I know, this may not be an option for everyone, but I am on a mission to see how low the electric bill can go this winter (now that the a/c doesn't suck up all the kwh).

Freecycle!

If you haven't already found this place, now is the time to do so! It is the perfect place to list items you are wanting to rid your home of - from clothes to excess craft items and other misc. items. Today, I 'relocated' 2 Christmas trees, a bag of clothes, 2 bed skirts and an over the door shoe rack. All things I no longer needed and I never left my house! I listed, people responded, I set the item out on the porch and they came and picked it up. What could be easier? Yes, this was all stuff I could have put in a garage sale, BUT I don't like the hassle of pricing it all and then it taking up my Saturday.

In return, I figured I would post a 'want' and see if I could grab some books to send to our troops overseas. I will have a BOX full of them by tomorrow afternoon - FREE!

Mindful Living - And So It Begins!

I've been working on simplifying things for a few years now - a little here and a little there. Some things are now part of my routine; others have fallen by the way side. One big thing was accomplished: I am now debt free (except for my mortgage)!

That being said, I have decided I am now ready to step it up and start practicing a more mindful way of living on an ongoing basis. Of course, all of you who know me know I have the urge to jump in and do everything at once. Guess what? I just may do that ~ kind of. There's no harm in trying to tweak things in multiple areas at once, right?

There is only one thing I have done to 'prepare' for this quest - my step one: a yearly spending plan on paper. This will hopefully be adjusted to the better over the coming months. I am now working backwards to 4 week spending periods (since I get paid bi-weekly). This will be part of my map.

I have not spent months stocking up on everything imaginable, though I do have certain things on hand as I always do (an extra package of TP, shampoo, toothpaste, etc. and a few extra boxes of mac/cheese and such). I'm not going on a crazed crash diet of the house or necessarily even of spending...just looking at things in a slightly different light.

My official start date? Christmas day. I know, it sounds kind of odd for a start date. However, that is a pay day for me - the last one of the year, but it also falls into the first part of January and will be what covers a good portion of January's expenses. Had I finished the first step (for me) sooner this year, I would have started sooner, but it is what it is and that's the date I've picked. This isn't a New Year's Resolution (those are mostly evil and typically fail by February), it's a quest for a better life (in my opinion, of course). One that will encourage me to be a better stewart of my blessings and a better manager of my resources.

Like I said, this isn't a diet, but a quest. Let the adventure begin!

Milk Jugs

We've found additional uses for styrofoam and plastic bread bags, so how about the plastic gallon milk jugs? Of course, these are recyclable, but why not get additional usage out of them before sending them on their way? The obvious reuse for them is to store water or mix juices or kool aid in them. Here are some additional ideas for use (some from the very helpful friends and family on FB!):

1. cut diagonally and use for a scoop - dog food, cat food, cat litter, clean the ashes from a fireplace, etc.

2. small garden tool

3. bird feeder

4. cut off the top and use instead of a cup when bathing young children

5. funnel for adding oil to the car

6. for the crafty - make musical instruments for children

Of course, we should try to reuse all of it, so how about the plastic cap?

1. everyone agreed they would use them for game pieces

2. use them for crafts - use for small amounts of glue or paint, or mix paint in them

3. a little craftier - glue pictures on them and punch a hole/string them for ornaments

4. cat toys

5. paste numbers/letters on them and make a learning game for young kids (those old enough to not try to swallow them!)

Talk about some creative reasoning! I would say there is pratically nothing that can't be reused at least once in some way or another. Start looking at things from an 'out of the box' perspective and bring more creativity into your lives while saving money!

What's in your trash can?

It seems I need to re-introduce my son to the compost bin. I went in to the kitchen this morning and noticed a banana peel and egg shells sitting in the trash can. After removing those to their proper place and taking out a piece of styrofoam packaging to re-use and I still have an extremely small amount of trash in the trash can. It's been almost a full week and I still don't have a full trash bag to take out for the weekly pick up on Tuesday.

What's in my trash can?

~the empty packets of EmergenC

~some used packing tape from a purchase last week

~wrappings from our Whataburger burgers earlier in the week
~some torn up pieces of plastic from that same purchase last week

What I noticed already today:

I was sweeping the kitchen floor and went to toss the sweepings into the trash. I realized that was kind of silly since it was primarily dirt from the dogs being in overnight - rerouted to the back yard where it came from!

Reuse ideas for plastic bread bags and styrofoam

Well, I thought of an idea for reusing the plastic bread bags, but my big discovery of the day was uses for styrofoam cups...thanks to my wonderful family and friends via Facebook.

First, plastic bread bags can be washed out and reused at the grocery store for fruit and veggies instead of grabbing a new bag each time.

Now on to the styrofoam - I am trying to cut out the use of these products since they aren't recyclable. I had made a :( post because I remembered Chick-fil-a used styrofoam cups for their milkshakes and I really wanted a milkshake! Thanks to Katie, Stefanie and Stephanie, I can now have a milkshake from time to time and reuse the cups as follows:

It can start out as a change collector. Once it has served its use there, it can be turned into a plant starter. It can then be turned upside down and decorated as a Christmas tree with an angel of some sort placed on top. Once it has gone through all of these transformations, it can be torn to pieces and used for packing material.

Way to go girls!!

Plastic Bread Bags - What can you do with them?

11 Dec 09 Plastic Bread Bags – What can you do with them?

I saw one tossed in the trash can this morning. My kid managed to consume 2 loaves of bread on his own this week! At least it was wheat bread. It made me wonder, though…what can be done with the bread bags? As far as I know, they aren’t recyclable (though I could be wrong), so that leaves reusable or trash. I guess I could get really energetic and bake bread – eliminating the continuous flow of bags all together, but let’s be a little realistic…I’m not a Mrs. Baird’s! I do have a bread maker and use it on occasion, but haven’t found a recipe I absolutely love yet. I would consider baking it from scratch if someone could give me a somewhat easy and really YUMMY recipe for healthy bread – wheat or otherwise.

Here’s where YOU come in on my journey! Give me your ideas for reusing these bags OR a yummy recipe to try!!

Got My New SMALLER Trash Can!

The city delivered my new smaller trash container today. I am trying really hard to take a closer look at everything I would have thrown into the trash before to see if it can be recycled instead. I tripped across some packaging material that is actually able to go into the compost pile. Not much else was accomplished today, but tomorrow brings a host of new opportunities!

City Sewer Charges: Reduce Charges and Conserve Water!

The City of Plano calculates sewer charges based on a Winter Quarter Averaging Program - http://plano.gov/Departments/CUS/General_Information/Pages/sewer_rate_ed.aspx .
According to this program, my sewer rates over the following 12 months can be reduced by me conserving water during the months of Nov – March. Since this is sewer fees, it only applies to the amount of water that GOES DOWN THE DRAIN, not the amount of water that comes out of the faucets. Cool – to lower this cost, simply don’t let as much water escape through the drains and the toilets.

I don’t have a dishwasher (gasp!), so I wash dishes by hand anyway. All I have to do to reduce the sewer cost (AND recycle water) in that area is to go back to container washing (water stays in a dish bucket instead of the sink – it can then be used to water outdoor plants instead of rushing down the drain).

We both already take showers that last less than 5 minutes, so we are in good shape there.

Of course the other way to use less water (and now get a cheaper sewer rate) in the bathroom is to put a bottle filled with sand or a brick in the toilet tank. This allows the toilet to require less water to fill up.

Another win/win situation.

Mindful Living

It’s December – an absolutely crazy time of the year to decide to start something, right? Well, not at my house! I already have 99.99% of my shopping done and have no desire to go shop with all of the crazies out there right now, so why not focus on something at home? I recently finished the majority of remodeling of the 3 bedrooms at my house (I’ll post pictures in a bit), so still have a good amount of paint, trimming and other stuff lying around, though it is in a confined area now. The learning experiences brought on by those projects re-sparked something long buried in my brain and has triggered the desire for more challenges – as if being a single parent, working full time, raising a kid with weird school hours while attending classes herself isn’t challenging enough.

Here are the challenges I have set for myself and my household (yep, that would be the one 15 year old boy):

• Review current expenses (utilities, insurance and the like) and adjust where necessary
• Be more mindful of the use of electricity in the home
• Start being more alert to ways of reducing the amount of trash disposed of weekly
• Start being more alert to ways of reusing/recycling items

All of these areas can be worked on by both of us, which will be some good lessons for my already smart and conscious teenager. This is just a spring board for things to come.

For the review of current expenses, I’ve decided to start with my city utility bill. For me, this covers water, sewer and trash/recycling pick up. What I know right now is the city provides a huge trash bin that is emptied weekly and a huge recycle bin that is emptied bi-weekly. I know they offer a smaller trash bin which likely costs less per month, so that is where I will begin my research for this one and see where it leads me.

Electricity usage – This is an area we’ve been fairly conscious of to begin with, but there is definitely room for improvement. I’ve already mentioned using the clothes line at times, though not all the time and my kids were always good about turning lights off when leaving a room. We do, however, tend to be bad about leaving the TV on – almost all the time! This is an area I am noticing Zack paying more attention to (some days more than others). He will realize he is reading a book and there is no need for the TV to be on if he is the only one in the room and turn it off. As a learning experience, I want to pull the last 12 months of utility bills and review the usage with him – then see if it can be reduced over the next few months.

Trash/recycle – For the most part, we fill the recycle bin way more often than we do the trash bin. However, we are extremely more wasteful than we should be. I decided the first big challenge here is to reduce or even eliminate the amount of Styrofoam purchased/used by the two of us. This is a big non-recyclable culprit at home, at the office and when eating on the run. Monday morning, I packed up a reusable water bottle to take to the office. Along with that, I grabbed a bowl (for morning cereal, yogurt or oatmeal), spoon and coffee mug (don’t drink coffee, but use it for tea, milk and juice). That means I don’t have to reach for the Styrofoam cup or bowl anymore! I also informed Zack this meant no more drinks from Whataburger – they use Styrofoam cups…maybe I need to write them and complain!

more brain dumping :)

So where does the trail to Mindful Living begin? It begins with you and right where you are at right now! It begins with the desire to wage war against all of the ‘stuff’ in life; the desire to chip away the unhealthy things, the things that are holding you back from more important things or stealing your time, energy and even your health away. I do not believe there is only one right way to ride this trail – it is a personal journey for each of us. How far we choose to go on the trail is also a personal decision. What is important is to have a reason for choosing this trail. You have to define your own goals and find ways to get there and the motivation to keep going (or to get up and going again).

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been on this trail for a while now. What started the journey? I really can’t say it was one specific thing. I was simply tired of doing things how everyone else did them or how ‘they’ thought I should do them. Those who know me well enough will tell you I kind of like making my own beat to march to. I guess I simply got tired of listening to someone else’s beat.

Where did I start? Hmm, that’s another non specific. I get a little obsessive-compulsive at times (the laughing you are now participating in is really not necessary, but I’ll let it slide since it is good for you!). I decided to try many things at once. It was a bit chaotic, but it helped me see what would ‘stick’ and become part of my new trail. What stuck was the determination to pay off my debt (except for that crazy 30 year project I bought a while back). That became my first defined goal. I wasn’t extreme on that trail, but I was pretty darned focused. While maintaining a decent comfort level in our lives, I chipped away at those pesky credit cards and car loans paying them off in about a year. Since that was a different set of blog posts, I won’t go into all of the details. I’ll simply say it still feels great!

On that leg of the journey, I tripped across (or pulled back out) several things I enjoyed doing. I put up my own ‘no tools required – female installed’ clothes line and enjoyed the therapeutic benefits of being outdoors and the fresh smell of nature dried laundry. Don’t get me wrong, I still used my dryer from time to time to soften the towels up and such. It had a pretty long life until one day it said its time had come to an end. My Uncle Jimmy came to the rescue installing a ‘tools required – male rigged to be stronger and longer lasting’ clothes line in its place.

I also started a container garden – I would have torn up the entire back yard if I’d have had a ‘tiller, but thankfully I did not! This past summer I had fresh strawberries, black berries, blueberries and yummy snap peas. I am still nurturing the berry plants and also the baby green and red grape plants I started but won’t yield any grapes for a while. In that same general area, I started up my compost bin. I will now have some great additives for my garden area this spring.

There are other things that have stuck as well, but these are the most exciting – for me anyway. It once again triggered my desire for several acres, lots of fruit trees, a big garden and a quaint little home primarily powered by solar and wind energy. Okay, so that is a dream land, but there are still many things I can work towards.

I would love to tell you this series of entries will be straight forward, only on one track and simple to read/follow. However, there is no sense in lying to you! I tend to bounce at times more often than T-I-GG-E-R at a birthday party, so don’t feel bad if you can’t make sense out of what I’m doing! All I can tell you is that I hope to chronicle my adventures as they come about – maybe you can take something from them and maybe you can add something to them. Most of all, make ways to enjoy life!

Just some thoughts...

Everyone’s heard the terms: eco-friendly, environmentally conscious, energy-efficient. There are likely more books on ‘green living’ available on today’s bookshelf than at any other time during the last 50 years. Many of these writers claim to ‘have found a new way of living’. I wonder what they think our ancestors did years ago before all of the modern ‘conveniences’ of today’s lifestyle?

Out of curiosity, I have picked up and browsed through some of these books. Most have had a common theme weaved in – take care of Mother Earth. I understand their point, but find their reference a bit lacking. After all, wasn’t it Father God who provided us with Mother Earth? Wasn’t it Father God who put man in the Garden of Eden to work it and care for it? Though man was kicked out of the Garden, doesn’t that position still apply to the rest of us and to the world God has provided us with?

Personally, I like to think of this quest more on the lines of ‘Mindful Living’ – of being more mindful of the abundance of blessings that have been bestowed upon us here in our great land of plenty and how we use them to help those around us.